We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The TripAdvisor website may not display properly. We support the following browsers:
Windows:Internet Explorer,
Mozilla Firefox,
Google Chrome.
Mac:Safari.

New!Find and book your ideal hotel on TripAdvisor — and get the lowest prices

This is a fairly new addition to the much larger Bahia Principe Punta Cana and Bavaro complex.Beautiful grounds, pool, accommodations and restaurants. A la Carte's were easy to book - all at once. Every amenity including the beach was only steps away. Private beach area was a godsend as the beach for the larger resort was extremely crowded - always able to get a chair/shade. Hola to Nicanor the Bell Captain who provided us great service with a smile!Only comment would be that service in the Buffets was inconsistent. The Jazmin Buffet was not great - had to wait forever to get a coffee, or another pleace setting, or they bring one coffee cup and miss the other two people at the table etc. They need to tighten this up. Service in the Pool Buffet was better - special thanks to Franz and Joselito.Would highly recommend this resort if you are looking for something a little ore initimate but with access to all amenities on the larger complex.

Fantastic resort, unbelievably good food, friendly staff and clean! A vacation we will never forget and would highly recommend to anyone! Thank you to Ramon our butler and Marilennis, the bath was such a treat!

Room Tip: Had a room facing the main pool on the second floor, in building 91000. Could see the ocean to our l...

Esmerelda was the most unwanting vacation I have been on. Perfect across the board. best of both world's, as this is a small 5 star will full access to the larger 4 star resort (seconds away). if you want a loud busy pool and beach area, it's five minutes, want a uncrowded and relaxed area - stay at Esmerelda. Kids had a great time. Wife had a great time. Staff was unbelievable positive and helpful.

There was 8 of us (ages 50-85) who travelled to Punta Cana for the week of Jan 13-20/12. After looking at several hotels we chose the Esmeralda. It was great with the idea of being a small resort in a very lodge complex and the amenties. The food was very good. We enjoyed the Don Pablo restaurant along with the seafood buffet on Thursday night. All of the staff was very kind and especially to my 85 year old mother. She adored all of them also.The room was large with a wonderful en suite. The stand up shower and jacuzzi along with the 2 sinks were perfect.We had an excellent massage on the beach for a very reasonable price.We have been at the Bahia Principe Coba and the hotel has many of the same items. We will definately be returning.

Room Tip: All of the rooms have excellent views of the gardens.

See more room tips

Stayed January 2012, travelled with family

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

5Thank sucq

Report

Ask sucq about Luxury Bahia Principe Esmeralda Don Pablo Collection

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

The Esmeralda is one of the higher end hotels located within the Bahia Principe complex. The rooms are apparently nicer and you are given access to ia greater number of dining options. The hotel is also located closer to the beach. The room was clean. The television worked well with a fair number of English language channels, and overall, I have no issues with the accommodations.

However, my wife and I were traveling with our two boys, ages 11 and 8. My only criticism of the Bahia Principe hotel complex is that it is not particularly suited to younger children, as compared with other resorts. There are few activities geared to kids. The amenities which do exist such as ping pong, appear to have been squeezed into the resort as an afterthought. The resort is very spread out. The advertised mini golf, tennis, and soccer field are located at the entrance of the resort and require a tram ride; these are not located in way that you can simply send (even older) kids off unsupervised. You have to be a hovering parent. By comparison the Iberostar Bavaro had many kids activities were located adjacent to the pool.

Hi , after having read many reviews prior to attending the Hotel for a weeks holiday ( April 14-21) , i decided to now write my version of the hotel review.The Hotel was excellent in many ways since it had both beautiful grounds as well as great rooms. The rooms were large , well equipped and had a clean well maintained appearance. The bathrooms are very very large with jacuzzi style tubs and large showers. There was a steady supply of hot water at all times, plumbing fixtures, double sinks and deluxe accessories all contributed to a nice experience in the bathroom. The staff located within the hotel are all polite and accommodate your needs very well. The atmosphere is very elegant and the staff do a good job of helping that happen since they are all eager to assist and help while respecting you and providing excellent service . The warm smiles and the clean atmosphere prove that they care, everything is cleaned and scrubbed daily to keep it pristine. My Girlfriend and I even had a staff painter search for us and hand over a storage card that we had accidentally dropped somewhere unknowingly , he expected nothing in return. This had happened a few days earlier and he was persistent in his search.The beach is very beautiful with excellent whitish sand and a beautiful turquoise blue ocean, the water was warm and clean. Some sea vegetation was washing up at times but it was a golden colour and was usually after heavy waves,nothing gross or terrible to speak of. After having spent the winter in Canada we definitely looked for a nice relaxing place that we would research and thereby avoid disappointment in our quest for relaxation excellence.....we found it here at the Esmeralda. The pool was pristine, the refrigeration systems worked great and all our drinks were ice cold, colder than most places i have visited . The pool bars as well as beach bars served ice cold drinks. The restaurants we went to all were decent and had good variety and that's coming from a picky eater . I do not eat seafood or pork and had no difficulty in loading up on great chicken and beef, as well the vegetables and breads were all great. Best chocolate ice cream ever also....not sure where they get it from but the island is full of cocoa beans so maybe they make their own. Best pineapple in the world also. The only complaint is that i did not stay 2 weeks .....oh yah , thats my fault !Did a few day trips......Santo Domingo.....very interesting . Also did Zip lines in the mountains, that was a lot of fun !!I would recommend this Hotel to friends and Family and as well this would make a great gift if you sent someone to this resort also. This section called Esmeralda is one of a few areas in the Bahia Principe complex, the others look good also, the Ambar I would say is second and then the Older area ( stiff nice) is called Punta Cana. There is some sharing of amenities within the sections which is nice and this creates a massive opportunity of selection.Pro's : pool,beach,cold drinks,clean big rooms.staff,food selection.Cons : beach chairs get taken fast, wifi not in rooms, no elevators ( 3 floors), some restaurants are too cold at times since the AC gets set too cold. Bed mattresses are nice but too firm for me. The plain coffee at night gets a bit stale. no jet ski rentals :( pretty much nothing much to complain about )Just go here and relax in the Esmeralda and leave your worries behind ! Spa was good also,

Room Tip: I had upper 3rd floor, loved it , facing pool . I would say all the rooms would be good for most peo...

See more room tips

Stayed April 2012, travelled as a couple

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

Thank Ron H

Report

Ask Ron H about Luxury Bahia Principe Esmeralda Don Pablo Collection

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

The grounds are beautiful, the rooms are bright and clean, and the pool was very nice but I did not have a 5 Star experience. Maybe a 3 star at best. The resort staff were unfriendly and very unhelpful. Asking for anything seemed like you were being a bother. The food was mostly bland and over cooked (unless you prefer to put salt and pepper on every single you eat). The maid walked into our room while we were having an afternoon nap (we could have been naked it didn't matter to her, although she said she knocked I'm still unsure why she was even in our room). Another time we came back to the room and the door had been left wide open by the cleaning staff. The whole experience of trying to get a lounge chair is ridiculous, I felt like I was in an episode of the Amazing Race trying to secure a chair! The pool closes at 6:00 which I think is way too early. Service at the Steak house and the Italian restaurants was horrible (unless you mind waiting 45 minutes for your order to be taken, and do not care that your drink order is completely ignored and you have to go to the lobby bar to get your own drinks), and the front desk staff were simply dismissive and rude. It got to the point where I had to be rude and abrupt back to get any service! It was almost like I got better service being that way! The beach area is really crammed full, with no view of the Ocean due to the Bungee thing, the big plastic ball that nobody ever uses and the Umbrellas. The coup de gras...was when my passport got stolen at the resort on our last day. If this is Punta Cana's finest I'm a bit afraid what other resorts are like. All and all I was very disappointed in this resort.

TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Expedia, TripOnline SA, Booking.com and Hotels.com so you can book your Luxury Bahia Principe Esmeralda Don Pablo Collection reservations with confidence. We help millions of travellers each month to find the perfect hotel for both holiday and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.

Also Known As:

Gran Bahia Principe Esmeralda Hotel Punta Cana

Is This Your TripAdvisor Listing?

Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.

* TripAdvisor LLC is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site... (more)

We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The TripAdvisor website may not display properly. We support the following browsers:
Windows:Internet Explorer,
Mozilla Firefox,
Google Chrome.
Mac:Safari.

TripAdvisor LLC is not responsible for content on external web sites. Taxes, fees not included for deals content.